All-About-Chocolate

YUM !!!!!!! CHOCOLATE !!!!!!!!! The story of chocolate spans more than 2,000 years and now circles the globe. The tale began in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America where cacao (kah KOW) first grew. Chocolate is made from the seeds of the cacao tree. Some Chocolate facts;.....


 * [[image:http://www.fieldmuseum.org/chocolate/photos_small/grow/g9a.jpg width="161" height="110" align="right" link="javascript:openHori('pop_g9a.html', 'g9a')"]] || Cacao trees thrive beneath the shady branches of taller trees in the rainforest. They won’t begin to bear fruit, however, until they are at least three to five years old. ||
 * [[image:http://www.fieldmuseum.org/chocolate/photos_small/grow/g6.jpg width="161" height="110" align="right" link="javascript:openHori('pop_g6b.html', 'g6b')"]] || Cacao trees produce flowers year-round. Tiny flies called midges pollinate these small flowers. Eventually, cacao pods will sprout from the trunk and branches of the tree. ||
 * [[image:http://www.fieldmuseum.org/chocolate/photos_small/animals/an11.jpg width="161" height="110" align="right" link="javascript:openHori('pop_an11a.html', 'an11a')"]] || Midges have the fastest wingbeat of any creature on earth—1,000 beats a second! They’re so small that they fit easily on the head of a straight pin. ||
 * [[image:http://www.fieldmuseum.org/chocolate/photos_small/ferment/f9.jpg width="161" height="110" align="right" link="javascript:openHori('pop_f9a.html', 'f9a')"]] || A cacao pod contains about 30-50 almond-sized seeds—enough to make about seven milk chocolate candy bars! ||
 * [[image:http://www.fieldmuseum.org/chocolate/photos_small/icon/ic1a.jpg width="161" height="110" link="javascript:openHori('pop_ic1b.html', 'ic1b')"]] || Richard Cadbury (the founder of England’s Cadbury chocolate company) introduced a terrific money-making tradition by creating the first Valentine’s Day candy box in 1868. ||
 * [[image:http://www.fieldmuseum.org/chocolate/photos_small/icon/ic4.jpg width="111" height="161" link="javascript:openVert('pop_ic4.html', 'ic4')"]] || Robert Stroehecker is the “father” of the first chocolate Easter bunny—yet another successful holiday advertising icon, which first appeared in 1890. ||
 * [[image:http://www.fieldmuseum.org/chocolate/photos_small/imagesnot_cataloged/A114169_2d.jpg width="161" height="110" link="javascript:openHori('pop_A114169_2da.html', 'A114169_2da')"]] || The United States Armed Forces also helped make chocolate a popular treat. During both world wars, the rations of U.S. soldiers included this sweet for extra energy. Today, Army D-rations still include 4 ounces of chocolate ||

Also, Did you know that your favorite candy bar comes from a plant? It’s true—chocolate is made from the seeds of the cacao (kah KOW) tree. Chocolate-making companies purchase these seeds and then crush, mix, roll, and mold them in machines to make candy bars.

by jesse info from http://www.fieldmuseum.org/Chocolate/about.html